Homelessness reaches new high with nearly 16,000 people in emergency accommodation

Figures released this afternoon by the Department of Housing show that 4,958 of those are children.

The number of homeless people in Ireland has hit another record, reaching 15,915 in June.

Figures released this afternoon by the Department of Housing show that 4,958 of those are children.

The figures are an increase from the 15,747 homeless people recorded in May.

In total, the latest report shows that 839 adults exited homelessness in the second quarter of this year, up from last year's 786. 

However, the number of people prevented from becoming homeless in the second quarter — 1,018 — is down from the same period last year, when the figure was 1,276.

The statistics do not include people sleeping rough, those that may be couch-surfing or homeless in hospitals or prisons, or those in asylum seeker centres or domestic violence shelters.

The number of people accessing emergency accommodation has been steadily increasing for years.

It surpassed 10,000 people for the first time in 2019 and again in February 2020, before falling to 8,000 in mid-2021.

An eviction ban was imposed from November 2022 until the end of March 2023 in an attempt to control rising homeless numbers.

 - additional reporting from PA